Gate for railway-cars.



PATENTED NOV. 5, 1907.

N. GRA'SSO. GATE FOR RAILWAY CARS.

. APPLIOATION rmm 15412.21, 1901.,

[V602 azo /s 67 x550 1n: NDRRIS PETERS co., WA

NICHOLAS GRASSO, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

GATE FOR RAILWAY-CARS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 5, 1907.

Application filed March 21, 1907. Serial No. 363,676.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NICHOLAS Gnnsso, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gates for Rail way-Oars, of which the following is a specification.

This invention contemplates certain new and useful improvements in gates for railway cars and is particularly designed for use in connection with subway, elevated, and other street railway systems, where the platforms of the cars are provided with gates under the control of guards standing, who open and close the gates so as to permit passengers to get on and off at the different stations. It is well known that in systems of this nature, the platforms of the cars become crowded with passengers and where swinging gates are employed much difhculty is experienced in opening and closing the gates. Hence it is a desideratum to use gates which will fold into a comparatively small compass with a movement in line with the closure for which the gate is intended, and my present invention has for its object an improved construction of folding gate of this character embodying a lazy tong structure operating a series of bars connected together by articulated links, and the invention consists in certain constructions and arrangements of the parts which I shall hereinafter particularly describe and then point out the novel features in the appended claims.

For a full understanding of the invention reference is to be had to the following description and accompany ing drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved gate for railway cars; Fig. 2 is a detail perspective View of a portion of the actuating mechanism; and, Fig. 3 is a detail side view of parts of the actuating mechanism.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

My improved gate comprises a foundation bar 1. which is stationary, a series of intermediate vertically extending bars 2, and an end bar 2, all of said bars being connected together by articulated links 3. The links are preferably connected together by rule joints which hold the links at the limit of their spreading movement in obliquely disposed relation to each other, so that they are always ready to break joint when the bars 2 and 2 are moved towards the foundation bar 1 to open the gate.

In order to open the gate, I provide sets of lazy-tongs 4, two of such sets being shown in the present instance, namely an upper set and a lower set. These are connected at one end to the end bar 2 and their opposite diverging members at the foundation bar 1 pass freely through upper and lower longitudinal slots 5 in said foundation bar and are connected, respectively, to blocks 7. The blocks 7 are mounted to move vertically within boxes 6 secured to the outer edge of the foundation bar, one on each side of the slot 5, and said blocks are formed with grooved fingers 8 engaging longitudinal tongues 9 on the respective boxes so as to provide a proper guide for the blocks in their movement. The upper pair of blocks are provided, respec tively, with a relatively short rod 10 and a longer rod 11, and the lower pair of blocks are similarly provided with a short and long rod, and said rods are connected at their ends to a segment 12 mounted to revolve about its center on the outer face of the foundation bar, preferably at about the middle of the latter, said segment being turned by any suitable mechanism, such as the pitman 13, which is under the control of the guard. The'rods 10 and 11 are preferably mounted on pins projecting from the faces of the segment, and upper rod 10 and lower rod 11 are preferably mounted upon the same pin as shown, one of these rods being forked at 14 and embracing the adjacent end of its companion rod.

From the foregoing description in connection with the accompanying drawing, it is evident that when the segment 12 is turned, the blocks 6 of each bar will move vertically within their boxes, the one up and the other down, to spread apart or contract the members of the lazy-tongs and thereby open or close the gate according to the direction in which the eccentric is turn ed.

It will be seen that I have provided a very simple gate construction for the purpose set forth and one that will be durable as well as efficient in operation to quickly throw open or close the platform of the cars.

In the present embodiment of the invention as illustrated in the drawings, the pitman or lever 13 carries a toothed segment 15 meshing with the teeth 16 on the edge of the segment 12.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A gate of the character described, comprising a foundation bar, an end bar and intermediate bars, upper and lower sets of lazy-tongs connected to the end bar and adapted to move the end bar towards and from the foundation bar, means for supporting the intermediate bars in parallel relation during such movement, a segment mounted on the foundation bar between the lazy-tongs, means for moving said segment, blocks secured to the adjacent ends of the members of both sets of lazy-tongs, boxes secured to the foundation bar and having a tongue and groove connection with'the blocks, and upwardly and downwardly extending rods connecting said blocks with said segment.

2. A gate of the character described, comprising a foundation bar and a series of intermediate bars and an end bar, all parallel with the foundation bar, jointed connections between said bars, upper and lower sets of lazy tongs connected to the end bar, a segment mounted on the foundation bar between the sets of lazy-tongs, said segment being toothed, a lever having a toothed segmental end meshing with the teeth of the segment, blocks secured to the adjacent ends of the members of both sets of lazytongs, boxes secured to the said foundation bar and in which said blocks have a tongue and groove sliding connection, and upwardly and downwardly extending rods connecting said blocks with said segment.

3. A gate of the character described, comprising a foundation bar, intermediate bars and an end bar, jointed connections between said bars whereby they may be moved towards and from each other in parallel relation, a lazytong connection between the end bar and the foundation bar, said foundation bar being formed with a slot through which the inner members of the lazy-tong project, boxes secured to the outer face of the foundation bar on opposite sides of said slot, blocks mounted to slide in said boxes and connected, respectively, to the projecting ends of the lazy-tong, means for simultaneously moving said blocks, rods connected to the respective blocks, a segment mounted on the foundation bar and to which the ends of said rods are connected, and means for moving said segment.

4. A gate of the character described, comprising a foun dation bar and a series of intermediate bars and an end bar, all parallel with the foundation bar, jointed connections between said bars, upper and lower sets of lazytong connected to the end bar, a segment mounted on the foundation bar between the sets of lazy-tongs, means for moving said segment, blocks secured to the adjacent ends of the members of both sets of lazytongs, and upwardly and downwardly extending rods connecting said blocks with said segment, as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

NICHOLAS GRASSO. [L.s.] Witnesses CHARLES DELOCA, FRED. W. DAVIS. 

